ESOshop: Mounted image 085: The hidden fires of the Flame Nebula

The first publicly released image from VISTA, the world’s largest survey telescope, reveals the Flame Nebula, or NGC 2024, in the constellation of Orion. An area of intense star formation, the core of the nebula is hidden behind obscuring dust, but with VISTA’s infrared view, the cluster of young stars at the object’s heart is revealed. Also visible are the glow of the reflection nebula NGC 2023, just below centre, and the ghostly outline of the Horsehead Nebula to the lower right.